Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1887-03-31
OUR LANSING LETTER.
Various Matters Of Interest to the
Public,
And Legislative Summary.

ana Lesisiatfve summary
The senate has passed bill to pay
Marion Robertson, widow Of the late
IAdjt.-Gen. Robertson, the salary which
would have accrued to him had he lived
and fulfilled his term OF office. The bill was
substituted for one originally introduced
for another purpose.
The house committee of the whole has
agreed TO the bill placing the Northern
asylum for the insane at Traverse City
under the medical management OF
homeopathic physician and staff.
The bill providing for the further decora-
ton of the capitol came up for considera-
ton the other day. A proviso excluding
foreign contractors caused considerable
debate, which at times became not ONLY an
mated but decidedly personal in its charac-
ter. The proviso was retained by vote OF
Is to 9.
The senate has adopted a concurrent
resolution Tor ad ournment from Wednes-
day, Both inst. until April g. This changes
the former date and lengthens the time OF
adjournment.
The senate has passed the bill to provide
for the incorporation OF building and loan
societies. The bill had already pa sed the
house. These corporations loan money to
shareholders TO assist them in building
homes, and the loan is repaid on the Install
operative plan of building.
The senate has passed the bill making
compulsory. education apply to children
from to IA years of age, and incre sing
the pre-, cribed school term from four to
six months annually.
The bill to allow the state agricultural
society to permanently locate the state
fair has been favorably reported to the
house. This is the Jackson scheme and it
is likely to get black eye in the house.
The bill to establish the death penalty
for murder failed to pass in the house,
lacking one of the necessary constitution
al vote. The matter was reconsidered and
the bill was lard upon the table, to be taken
up again at more favorable time.
The "Age of Consent bill' wa discussed
in the house very ably 10y Repre- entatves
Baker and Mckie of Berrien, Harrington
of Oakland, and Ashton of Traverse, in
favor of IA years, and Diekema of Ottawa,
and Hosford of Wayne, in favor OF III
years. The significant vote was in the
amendment making the age a. The vote
standing ayes, 40; nays, 81.
Senator Crosby's bill to reconstruct the
delinquent tax laws by establishing the
| county system will come after the ad journ-
ment over election. Mr.. Crosby is dill
gently at WORK, collecting figures in sup
port OF his measure. lie has made a
| search of the county records of all coun-
ties-a tedious task, requiring "A deal Of
| figuring and innumerable referen ,es, and
| has tabulated the whole dein Iuent tax
list for 1855, These figures show that the
| total of delin u mt state taxes of 1855 in
all the counties of the state is SIS. 1863. 81.
Or this total amount the county treasur
ers collected SOL, 353,6o, and the amount
! collected by the auditor-general was only
ll,l!5.94. Against this SIN Ill collection,
Nph if.h IL nf inn nj Tn tha n1ain
business OF the lice, the expen of clerk
hire, postage charges, advertising, etc, as
| expenses of the auditor-general's ONCE for
the current yer, with the adv ertising
charges taken out Is s49,5'3.s2.
I An effort is being made to pass such a
bill as will make the Detroit house of cor
rection vast penal institution. One bill
which has already passed both houses,
| provides for sending female prisoners,
heretofore sent to county Jails, TO the De-
troit house of correction. This law is ap-
plicable mainly 10 keepers and inmates of
houses of ill-fame, who are sent for short
terms. They will hereafter be shipped
from every county in the state to Detroit,
and, alter brief imprisonment, be
turned adrft in the city TO swell the al
ready large list Of abandoned creatures.
| Another bill which is under consideration
provides: That any court Of criminal
| jurisdiction in this state hall have power
| in the discretion of the court, to sentence
any male person, convicted for the first
time OF any onense. murder and treason
excepted, punishable by Imprisonment in
| the state prison, to Imprisonment in the
| Detroit house of correction, instead OF
the state prison, and every such person
so sentenced shall be received into the
house of correction. and shall be kept and
employed therein In the manner prescribed
by law, and shall be subject to the rules
| and discipline of the house of correction:
Procided, That no charge against any
| county nor the state shall be allowed for
| the maintenance of persons sentenced to
said hou,e of correction" By the passage
| of this bill the Detroit house Of correction
would be placed side by side with the tate
| prison at Jackson, and would be likely TO
soon pass the state prison in magnitude.
| The bill gives all criminal courts power to
| send prisoners to Detroit when convicted
| of first offense. As about three-fourths
| of all criminal convictions are for first
offenses, the law would apply to 20 per
| cent of all persons sentenced.
The bill to establish a state board of un-
dertakers has been reported favorably in
the house.
The bill of Representative Oviatt for the
publication in at least one newspaper of
| the county of the proceedings of boards
of supervisors directly after the sessions
| close came up in the senate Jews ago.
| Senator Hubbell objected to the measure:
|
making it optional with tie supervisors.
| These two members were down upon the
bill. Senator Palmer showed that it was a
| measure in the interest OF the people and
| had much merit in IL. Senator Post said
that the change was very slight from the
existing law-only that it required publ
| cation at each session Of the board. The
law now requires publication at the close
| of the annual sessions. Senator Gliding
made a good impression by remark in the
| same line, aging that the publication was
made in his county In three and some
| times in four newspapers, fire luently at
| loss to the publ, hers. Senator Holbrook
thought the bill should go further and pro-
The amendme mt of Mr.. Mayo was rejected
and the committee agreed to the bill 1t
has already passed the house.
The bill of Senator Post providing for
| indetermnate sentences of criminals, and
also for the management and release of
| prisoners under sentence, by system OF
| paroles something like the English ticket
| ofleave, has been killed by the senate, all
after the enacting clause having been
stricken out. 1t met with but little favor.
senator Moon thought 1t impossible,
though admitting that something worth
while might be accomplished by the parole
| or ticket-of-leave system-if our country
were insular and situated as in England
An animated debate occurred in the
house the other day over the bill for the
protection of game. As amended, it limits
the season for deer hunting to one month,
viz. from November to December /. 1t
| also forbids the use of dogs in hunting,
pursuing and killing deer, and any dog
seen following upon the track of deer is
declared a public nuisance, to be killed on
sight without recourse to law or indemni-
fcation to the owner. This part Of the bill
was objected to by Representatives Rum